This week, we warmly welcomed a diverse group of guests from Germany, the UK, Italy, and the USA. Many were returning visitors, with Toni and Dietmar beginning the first week of their two-week stay, while Sven entered the second week of his visit, having spent his first week at our upstream operation, “Estancia Glencross.” All three, seasoned regulars from Germany, were delighted to be back. Longtime fishing buddies Andrea and John also started the final week of their two-week stay, once again filling the garden area with the unmistakable scent of Cuban cigars and fine wine.
From the UK, we welcomed Peter and John, both familiar faces at Las Buitreras. Additionally, we had the pleasure of hosting first-time guests Paul, Stephen (SK), and the father-son duo, Tom and Lewis, also from the UK.
River conditions this week differed significantly from previous weeks. Following a strong push of water at the tail end of last week, the river was in perfect shape. The water took on a dark, tea-stained color, with the level reading +5 cm on our marker – what some might call “perfect conditions.” In these conditions, sea trout become more active and start moving, with many fish already in the holding pools continuing their upstream journey while fresh fish arrive from the ocean to take their place.
Weather conditions remained largely consistent with the previous week, featuring daytime temperatures between 7-15°C and nighttime temperatures between 5-9°C. Winds varied, with the prevailing west-to-southwest winds dominating most days, though we also experienced occasional light north-to-southeast winds. The sky was a mix of bright sunshine and cloud cover, with Thursday bringing heavy rain for over ten hours.
To start the week, our tactics included the usual combination of floating and intermediate lines, looped together with sink 5-6 ips tips. Leaders were kept short (4-6 ft), and a variety of flies were used—mainly bright-colored Woolly Buggers, with and without rubber legs. Our favorite patterns in these conditions included the “Poison” (a chartreuse Woolly Bugger with a pink bead) and the “Yellow Yummy,” along with large Girdle Bugs and small Intruders.
As the river level dropped and clarity improved, we adjusted our tactics. We continued with floating lines while gradually reducing the sink tips in density, moving from 6 ips to 3 ips before switching to an intermediate tip for the final two days. Fly selection also evolved throughout the week – we began with large, bright patterns and gradually scaled down in size. Orange/chartreuse cone-head nymphs (sizes 6-8), large and medium-sized Girdle Bugs, and finally, standard size 8 bead-head nymphs such as the “Copper John,” “Flashback Nymph,” and “Marianne” proved effective. Some of our guests also brought their own secret fly patterns – details of which will remain undisclosed to avoid any legal disputes (haha).
The week started strong for Toni, who landed three fish in Zone 3, including a 12 lbs hen fish. A dedicated fly tyer, Toni impresses us every year with his extensive collection – this time bringing 43 fly boxes containing around 4,000 newly tied flies! Meanwhile, Tom caught a couple of fish at the “Barranca Blanca” and “Barranca Negra” pools, while Stephan (SK) achieved a milestone by landing his first-ever sea trout in Zone 1 at “Ochenta.” Andrea kicked off his second week with two fish up to 10 lbs in Zone 3 at “Limits” and “Bridge” pools.
Days two and three continued to be highly productive, with numerous bright, chrome fish being caught.
Sven landed a brace at “Goat” and “Island Stream,” before adding another in the evening at Zone 4. Peter, on the other hand, completed a hat trick in Zone 3 and then doubled his tally during the evening session in Upper 1. Toni caught several fish at “Molino” and “Ochenta”, SK and Paul hooked and landed three fish at “La Recta,” “Cogedero,” and “Barranca Negra.”
Day four was particularly memorable for two guests. “Single-hand” John had an incredible morning session at “Orilla Rippio,” where he hooked and landed a stunning 19 lb chrome hen – a remarkable achievement using a #7 single-hand rod. After a long, grueling battle, his experience paid off. Worth mentioning also was a 16,5 lbs fish he landed in Ochenta a day before. Well done John!
The evening of day four belonged to Peter from the UK. Fishing in Zone 2, he started strong with a smaller 7 lbs fresh fish in “Little Corner” before moving downstream to “Goat,” where he landed another seatrout. His final move to “Island Stream” proved to be his golden ticket when his guide, German, spotted a large fish rolling at the surface. This was in the upper part, the water is fairly shallow there. Following German’s advice, Peter cast a Sunray Shadow right into the spot. The fly lands, a few strips in he sees a big bow wave behind the fly and an explosion a second later. A moment he will probably never forget! A crazy fight followed, run after run down the pool in this shallow water, violently shaking its head in an attempt to break free. However, Peter eventually guided it into the net – an impressive 21 lb fish measuring 90 cm x 56 cm. His biggest seatrout to this date!
On this particular evening session we landed over 30 fish. Sven also experienced an incredible evening in “Kitchen”. With the wind being bad for the main pool, we decided to send him to the upper part, in this water level a great run. After a few casts, Sven and guide Dani decide to change to a big Sunray Shadow. A good decision.
First cast, the fly lands, Sven tries to get a hold of his running line when the water immediately explodes and a nice fish crushes his fly, ripping the line out of his hands, burning marks included. The fish jumped several times and went down the pool. Eventually Dani was able to net a magnificent 14 lbs fresh sea-run brown for Sven. A great ending to a perfect evening session at Las Buitreras.
As the week drew to a close, the catches remained consistent. Tom and Lewis had a fantastic morning in Zone 4, landing three fish between 6-8 lbs, followed by another three in the evening session, the largest weighing just over 11 lbs. Andrea secured three fish up to 13 lbs in Zone 2, while John added another 11 lb fish in “Kitchen” pool.
What a week, we landed over 100 fish, a lot of them in the single-digit area but there was fish being caught in every session for nearly all guests. A fantastic result and we are thankful to share this with such a wonderful group.
See you soon for the Week 10 report. Tight lines, everyone!
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout landed: 21 lbs
Average size: 7.02 lb
